Garbage Social Media Is Expensive

A lot of social media is garbage. And it’s really expensive garbage to make. I’m not talking about the nasty, ad hominem kind of social media or the bots that try to whip up artificial frenzies. I’m talking about corporate, political, and commercial social media that is focused on KPIs, ROI, and “engagement.”

The best, most effective uses of social media, especially when it comes to politics, are when the candidate him or herself is actually writing and sending the posts. Even a single channel, like Twitter or Facebook does wonders for your campaign or organizations broader digital marketing efforts.

The recipe for good social media is right in the name: social + media. First, “social” means it’s rooted in person to person relationships. People have unique voices. Even in the case where there’s a corporate handle, the most successful brands (like Wendy’s for example) have a voice, but even that is becoming harder to be unique.

The second part is “media.” Media is entertaining or informative or inspiring. Corporate speak that’s been parsed of all texture is none of those things.

Twitter at its best are individuals informing (think reporters in the field) or entertaining (think pseudo-anonymous pundits cracking jokes). It’s social PLUS media.

If your candidate or organization is struggling to embrace this, it might be time to reassess your engagement on social media platforms.